All-Star Letters & Op/Eds

I'll assemble a collection of my Letters and Op/Eds as they appeared in various papers to include USA Today. May it serve as an example of what editors might select for print. Feel free to use as a guide however you wish. If possible, please don't post until after my last one. I'll note that upon completion (which might take awhile).
They'll be in chronological order. You may be able to tell at what point I moved to the United States from New Jersey. There's only so much a human being can take.

Congratulations to the gun-control groups and politicians for seizing the recent Washington, DC-area tragedy to further their agenda. Certainly, we're all equally upset by the Beltway shootings and other criminal behavior.
But predatory criminals, by virtue of their job, are the greatest advocates for gun control. A free society, by definition, should not require its citizens to ask for permission to defend themselves.
Gun control does not work, never has and never will. The truth is that decreasing gun ownership has a direct correlation to a rise in crime.
The gun-ban crowd has created the black-market industry that is, in large part, responsible for the gun violence that we are all concerned about.
The rationale for disarming responsible, law-abiding citizens in the post-9/11 era is deceitful, to say the least, and may lead us to becoming a nation of defenseless victims.

The leadership of New Jersey has pulled the wool over our eyes. The recent Smart Gun Bill is anything but smart, as it applies to the non-existent technology of an inherently flawed concept. After all, who can argue with "do it for the children"? Child-proofing a firearm is void of even a remote connection to reality and is an insult.
Gun control is a galvanizing issue. The politicians appear to be the knights in shining armor while rabid gun controllers focus on the wrong target (the law-abiding gun owner) as an outlet for their personal agendas. Laws that specifically target law-abiding gun owners blame and punish the wrong people.
Gun control seems noble on the surface, but it really does not work. States and cities that institute strong gun control laws not only see no decrease in crime, but actually see crime increase. Contrast this with states that have concealed carry laws, where they experience significantly lower crime rates.
Restoring our right to self defense may not only reduce crime, but may also be a step toward acknowledging real causes and possible remedies. Is a raped and strangled woman really morally superior to a woman with a smoking gun in her hand and a dead rapist at her feet?
If for no other reason: Do it for the children.

Air,Land&Sea

December 23, 2007, 11:59 AM

My favorite thing about the Smart Gun Bill is that police are exempt from using the technology and the state can't be held liable when something goes horribly wrong. Childproofing a firearm is void of even a remote connection to reality. There are much better ways to keep children safe.
This technology is inherently flawed, as is the entire gun control movement. Both focus on the law-abiding gun owner. Four things, though, are certain:
1. Lawyers will have a field day with this one.
2. The smart gun chip descrambler market is already forming.
3. Smart guns will cost more lives than they save.
4. 10 out of 10 criminals favor gun control.
Now if I can only get my cell phone and computer to stop malfunctioning when I seem to need them most.

Air,Land&Sea

December 24, 2007, 03:45 AM

As was the case over 200 years ago, the 2nd Amendment IS homeland security. The armed, law-abiding citizen is our first line of defense. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms is as important today as it was then, if not more so, but talking facts to gun control zealots is only likely to make them angry. Much of what they claim simply will not stand up under scrutiny. Currently, New Jersey is one of the few states where it's virtually impossible to obtain a concealed carry permit.
The 2nd Amendment isn't really about guns - it's about our inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Many who don't even own a gun understand this and completely support the Constitution of the United States of America.
America was founded on the principles of individual rights, personal responsibility, accountability and self reliance. Many of us,though, look to government for solutions to our problems. Fortunately, we have the greatest system of government that I know of, but we've gotten a bit off track. We can only enjoy true freedom by accepting resonsibility for our own safety, education, food, shelter, health care, retirement, etc.
Gun control is nothing more than a massive propoganda machine devised to gain votes, power and corruption. Clear evidence and common sense show that areas allowing citizens to carry concealed weapons experience a decreasing crime rate while tightened gun laws have a direct effect on a rise in violent crime.
Most of us in New Jersey just don't know the facts and are conditioned to believe that our politicians are actually solving the crime and violence problem when the reverse is true. Ask anyone in England today about their total gun ban and they'll speak of violent crime that has gone unimaginably out of control.
The uninformed don't take the time to understand that a person with a clean record, FBI background check and a legally obtained permit is highly unlikely to commit a crime. The "civilized" elite who run our state know what's best for us and believe that we cannot be trusted to behave responsibly. A state the deprives its law-abiding citizens the means to defend themselves is itself a barbaric accomplice to violent crime.
It's almost as if the people of New Jersey have an obligation to be raped and murdered for the good of society. Our leaders will sacrifice the innocent and impose their superior wisdom and virtue on others to further their own selfish agenda. Part of that agenda includes creating an environment of dependency that swings the door wide open for all manner of abusive and self serving spending.
Handgun ownership doubled in the late 20th Century while the murder rate went down. Guns are inanimate tools. They contain no independent power to cause results apart from our decisions, character and purpose. Certainly, certain measures such as thorough background checks are welcomed by all and New Jersey leads the nation. But excessive restrictions and irrational gun phobia transcend gun control into a larger area of concern.

Air,Land&Sea

December 25, 2007, 09:25 AM

My faith in politicians has been restored with the expiration of the assault weapons ban. Many of us were fooled into believing that the assault weapons ban addressed fully automatic military style weapons. These were outlawed in 1934. This very flawed piece of legislation banned firearms based mostly on cosmetic features with no relevance to function.
The assault weapons ban was introduced in 1994 by politicians who are more concerned with politics than with fact and logic. On behalf of all law-abiding gun owners I thank all Democrats and Republicans who moved forward on this with common sense and moral courage.
Unfortunately, though, some unethical politicians and candidates continue to cater to the perceived ignorance of the masses. They use gun control in an attempt to scare people into voting a certain way. Hopefully the following discussion will clear up their confusion:
"A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." "Militia" refers to "all able bodied men". "People", as it appears everywhere else in the Constitution, refers to "us". And "shall not be infringed" means "shall not be infringed".
Modern day gun control began with the rash of assassinations and inner city riots of the 1960's. Clearly, these incidents had absolutely nothing to do with the law-abiding gun owner, but politicians jumped on it to pretend that they're actually doing something about these tremendous problems.
Continued efforts to undermine the 2nd Amendment threaten the core concept of liberty. The right to keep and bear arms isn't about guns - it's about our inalienable right to life, liberty and the puruit of happiness. Our Founding Fathers suggested that we were all born with certain inalienable rights and that the 2nd Amendment is their ultimate safeguard. The Constitution doesn't give us these rights; we already have them. The Constitution just ensures that our federal government can't take them away.
I'm of the firm belief that people are inherently good. That given the choice between good and evil most will choose good. Unfortunately, sometimes bad things happen to good people in a free society. It's gets much worse, though, as freedoms disappear.
Gun control laws ignore intent in that are aimed at those who haven't actually done anything morally wrong. Such laws proclaim the moral content of one's actions to be irrelevant. This sends a message that character isn't all that important, that understanding the difference between right and wrong doesn't matter and that it's more important to follow orders than to act responsibly and ethically. Plus, our freedom is not dependent on how criminals behave.
Firearms contain no independent power to cause results apart from our decisions, character and purpose. As a matter of fact, 10 out of 10 criminals favor gun control.
Gun control laws are only honored by law-abiding citizens. These laws feed the black market and have a direct effect on a rise in crime. Also, law-abiding citizens tend to remain so even after they're armed. In effect, gun control is nothing more than a false hope promised by an impossible utopia.
America was founded on the principles of personal responsibility, accountability and self reliance and hasen't remained free because of delusional activists. Giving up the right to arms is a mistake that a free people get to make only once.

Air,Land&Sea

December 25, 2007, 09:29 AM

As predicted, Philadelphia Mayor John Street is responding to horrifying violent crime by immediately trying to take firearms away from those who didn't do it. Firearm abuse by permit holders is virtually non-existent, yet some city and state legislators are demanding more restrictions.
No one is cheering more loudly than the greatest advocates of gun control - predatory criminals. Gun control not only makes the streets safer for rapists and murderers, but also expands the black market thereby putting more guns in their hands.
Many people see the right to protect themselves and their families as their single most important civil right. Some just have an overwhelming need to control the lives of others and it rarely stops at firearms. Our rights are not dependent on the behavior of criminals unless, of course, they hold a public office.

Air,Land&Sea

December 25, 2007, 11:45 AM

I just read Bryan Miller's latest gun hysteria, "Gun law is about thugs, not suburban moms", and would like to clear up a few inaccuracies. Mr. Miller is committed to reducing the flow of illegal weapons pouring into Camden from Philadelphia. The rules of simple economics will reveal that the black market increases in direct correlation to increases in gun control. The gun-ban crowd has, in effect, created the black market that puts guns in the hands of criminals (and not "weak laws that encourage illegal trafficking" as Mr. Miller suggests).
We can all sympathize with Mr. Miller who tragically lost his brother Michael on Nov. 22, 1994 to a deranged street thug named Bennie Lawson. Special Agent Miller was killed in the line of duty by Mr. Lawson who was "settling" a gang-related "issue". Agent Miller was truly in the wrong place at the wrong time, but attacking the law-abiding gun owner will never settle Bryan Miller's "score".
The gun control that Bryan Miller has devoted his life to only disarms the law-abiding thereby giving criminals greater predatory confidence. This only makes the job of law enforcement that much more difficult.
Criminal laws against murder, rape and robbery and all other violent crimes are laws that already impose appropriate restrictions on the use of any weapon. In fact, 10 out of 10 criminals favor gun control.
In my county, 40% of the adults have their concealed carry permit - a natural right of all citizens that's unavailable in New Jersey. One might even say that a state that deprives its law-abiding citizens with the means of self defense is itself a barbaric accomplice to violent crime. It's as if New Jersey politicians, with the help of laser focused elitists like Bryan Miller (who seem to know what's best for everyone else), distrusts citizens more than they fear rapists and murderers.
Gun owners are among the most disciplined, responsible, safety conscious and courteous people that you could ever want to know. They are the single most law-abiding segment of our society and no one detests violence and cherishes life more than those wishing to take personal responsibility for their own safety. If Mr. Miller truly wishes to make New Jersey safer then he'll let brave law enforcement officers like his late brother do their job and stop trying to impose his superior wisdom and virtue on others.

Air,Land&Sea

December 25, 2007, 11:51 AM

As predicted, the usual response to tragic violent crime is to place restrictions on those who didn't do it. The Second Amendment, the right to keep and bear arms, does not permit individuals to misuse firearms.
There are already laws against murder, rape, robbery and all other violent crimes to include very serious laws against buying firearms for others. What have we accomplished when we unfairly penalize those who pose no threat in the first place?
The answer is to deal harshly with violent criminals and leave the innocent alone. Current laws already impose appropriate restrictions on the use of any weapon. Adding another flawed law (for criminals to ignore) such as "one gun a month" only diverts attention from solutions and lets ineffective leaders off the hook for another election cycle. It's time to start getting tough on crime, which does not mean getting tough on the law-abiding gun owner. Another option is to start getting tough on politicians who would try to deceive us.

Air,Land&Sea

December 25, 2007, 09:28 PM

Skipped a few that rehash old themes. The following, the last in the series, makes correlations that address what's ultimately the underlying theme of why inner cities have become ravaged. Recognize these patterns and stand watch. In other words, think outside the box into the areas that transcend gun control. It's easy to defend and nearly impossible to restore.

It's encouraging that some of our elected officials have proceeded with common sense and honesty on the recently proposed gun-control bills. Many of us associate Philadelphia with a culture of guns. Philly suffers from a culture of crime. A gun-culture is where gun owners are disciplined, responsible and courteous.
No gun-control laws exist that will prevent criminals from using a gun to commit a crime. Violent criminals are simply not deterred by gun regulations. Every new restriction not only creates more bureaucracy that takes time and resources away from patrolling the streets, but also makes the black market more profitable. Taking firearms away from those who didn't do it is not a viable solution.
The most important solution will be to bring opportunities to the city that are more attractive than a life of predatory desperation. Philadelphia has experienced decades of abuse by organizations that make wide use of intimidation to ensure that competition is minimized. As a result of this disastrous climate businesses will not consider Philadelphia as a viable location. Thousands of opportunities are forever lost.
This same exact environment is desperately trying to work its way into **** County. Ordinance *** was recently passed in ***** *********, for example, that excludes a huge number of prospective organizations from seeking public contracts. If we follow the money we will see with ease that this type of ordinance favors organizations that have contributed to the county Democrat Party. Actions like Ordinance *** are expertly prepared to minimize or eliminate competition with those who contribute to political campaigns and now, coincidentally, we have (for the first time) giant inflatable rats protesting free market labor at local construction sites.
Reducing competition in this manner is what has destroyed Philadelphia and is the underlying force that has made places like New Jersey unlivable for many. Corruption, pay-to-play politics and obscene abuse of power are the result. And now these forces of evil are rearing their ugly heads in **** County. If you care pay close attention to what's going on and make the necessary changes on Election Day. The alternative to due diligence at the polls is a terminal disease that gun control will not cure.